


Queen Mary II

by bellefan123



Category: 16th Century CE RPF, Reign (TV), The Tudors (TV)
Genre: Alternate History, Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-09-09
Updated: 2018-11-12
Packaged: 2019-07-10 09:10:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 8,597
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15946253
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bellefan123/pseuds/bellefan123
Summary: What if things went different for Mary Queen of Scots? When the dying Queen Mary Tudor makes Mary of Scots promise to become the next Queen of England, all of Europe is thrown into chaos. Based more on history than the show, but uses the character personalities from reign. (originally posted on fan fiction.net, but re-writing and posting on here.)





	1. Long Live Mary Tudor

**17, November 1558**

**England**

The carriage slowly made its way through the town, to the palace at the end of the road. Normally a visiting monarch was cause for celebration and pompous parades, but not today. Subtlety was the necessity for today's visit because the young Mary, Queen of Scots, was visiting in secret. In honesty, the reason for this meeting was unknown to everyone, including the Scottish Queen. All she knew was that Mary Tudor, the Queen of England, had called her to come to England secretly. The teenage Queen could only assume that this had something to do with the ongoing conflict between Scotland and England. The two nations had been at war since the beginning of time due to England's hunger to control the entirety of the British Isles. This conflict had caused the tremendously unusual childhood Mary had experienced. She had grown up in a nunnery in France, so she would be safe from the English. Even being here in England frightened Mary. Her father-in-law, King Henri II of France, had warned her that this was a trap, but Mary needed to take that chance. If this meeting was really about peace, it was worth the risk.

Mary slowly felt the carriage stop and the door open. She knew now was the time, whatever was in store for her here, it was time she faced it. Rumors of the English Queen had spread across Europe, and Mary had heard just about every rumor. The English Queen had been described as a blood thirsty old hag, who, on top of killing hundred of Protestants, had also killed her own cousin, Jane Grey. The Queen of Scots knew that rumors could not always be trusted, but sometimes, where there is smoke, there is fire. Mary gently took the guard's hand and stepped out the carriage, where a servant was holding an umbrella over her to shield her from the rain. England was just as Mary had heard, dark, gloomy, and raining. This made her wonder what other rumors about this country might be true.

She gently straightened her blue gown, worn to represent Scotland, but also France, where Mary would also one day be Queen. A young woman greeted Mary at the palace door, which was unusual, usually a monarch would greet another monarch. However, Mary was not in the position to debate about protocol, so she merely politely greeted this woman, and followed her inside. Not much was being said as Mary was being led through the halls of the vast palace. All that could be heard were the footsteps of her and the woman leading her. This made the young queen uneasy, this was not typical for a royal court, which made Mary fear that her father-in-law was right and that this was a trap. 

Eventually, Mary and her guide stopped in front of a door, to what seemed like a bedchamber. Once again, this confused Mary, because usually meetings like this took place in a great hall, this only furthered Mary's fears. "Please wait here while I tell her majesty you are here," the guide said before slowly opening the door and walking in. Mary could barely hear the conversation inside. "Your majesty, the Queen of Scotland has arrived. Shall I send her in?" Then there was faint mumbling, before the door opened once again, with the guide walking out. "She will see you now."

Mary took a deep breathe before walking in to the room, which was engulfed in darkness. The windows were covered with dark curtains, and from what Mary could tell, the room was completely empty except for a bed in the center. Mary took small steps forward, confused on the situation. Was this her new prison? Was the English Queen placing her under house arrest? Mary snapped out of her fears when she heard a scratchy voice call out, "Child, please come sit, we have much to discuss."

Mary's breathe hitched as she heard the voice then noticed a chair by the bed, which she assumed to be hers. She made her way to the chair and sat down, it was then she understood what was happening. In the bed was a frail old woman, who seemed to be clinging on to life. Mary Tudor was dying. This revelation did not please Mary, for she was still concerned on what was going on. Why did the English Queen invite her here? The Scottish Queen opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out because she had no idea what to say. After a couple of coughs the elder Queen spoke again in her weak voice, "Do you speak?"

Mary cleared her throat and then nodded, "Yes your majesty, forgive me, I am just confused. I was not expecting this at all. I thought this was a peace conference for Scotland, I wasn't expecting to..." show trailed off, not knowing out to finish.

"to see a dying woman?" The English Queen finished for the teenager. "Yes, it is true, I am dying. The doctors have many ideas on what it is, but none of it matters, there is no cure, God is going to take me home soon. Which is why I have called you here."

The Scottish Queen examined the woman, old, alone, and sad. It seemed that the two queens were exact opposites in almost all regards, but the Scottish Queen could not help but wonder, was this her future too? Was this old dying queen once young, surrounded by love, and happy, just as Mary Stuart is? Mary banished those thoughts before responding, "I am afraid I do not understand. What does your death have to do with me?"

The English Queen broke off into a fit of coughing, holding up a cloth to her mouth to catch the blood she was coughing up. She then sighed and looked at the young girl, "Surely you know your ancestry. You are the great-granddaughter of King Henry VII, giving you English blood. My dear, you are the heiress to the English throne, when I die, you will become Queen of England, finally uniting the British Isles once and for all!"

Mary's eyes widened at this thought. Of course she knew this, but she did not think such a claim was possible, after all, Mary Tudor's sister, Elizabeth, was amassing armies for years to stop a Catholic uprising, when Mary Tudor finally died. "Your majesty, I am afraid I do not stand a chance against your sister Elizabeth. She is the rightful heir to the throne as your sister and daughter of King Henry VIII."

"Nonsense!" The dying Queen yelled before breaking into another coughing fit. After catching her breathe, she looked at the teenager, "My sister is a bastard. Daughter of that protestant witch. In the eyes of God, she is not recognized as the rightful Queen, but you are. You are Catholic, from a legitimate Catholic line of royalty. Elizabeth will fight back, but you must fight harder. With the power of France and Scotland by your side you will be unstoppable. I have even written my dear husband Philip, to offer Spain's support to you. God is calling you Mary, you must answer."

Mary took a deep breathe, she had never been given a direct mission from God before, and she had to wonder, was she worthy? Was this worth it at all? If she was going to end up like Mary Tudor if she pursued England, maybe she should not. Mary knew she had to ask her cousin something that has always bothered her, "Your majesty, why do you hate your sister? She is your blood, your family, you must love her."

The old Queen rolled her eyes at the young Queen's naiveté, "Why must you get so personal? I do love my sister, if you must know, just like I loved my cousin Jane before I took her head. However, as rulers we must place the crown above love. God gives us the responsibility to do so. We are not normal people, we are nations embodied as people, therefore we must protect our nations above our loves, and even ourselves. Which is why I am asking you to become the next Queen of England, at the expense of my sister."

The Scottish Queen examined the old Queen before, just the shell of a woman really. Then it was all clear to Mary, the English Queen had not just called her here to ask her to take the throne, that could have been done via a letter, the English Queen called her here because she did not want to be alone on her deathbed. The English Queen had no family to invite, and everyone knew that her husband, King Philip, cared little for his English wife. The Queen of Scots made a silent promise to herself that she would not end up like Mary Tudor. "Yes, I will be the next Queen of England, you have my word."

The old queen nodded and smiled a bit, the first show of positive emotions she had displayed this entire meeting. "Good, good, you will make your country, and God proud, long live Mary Stuart, Queen of England, Scotland, and Ireland, long may you reign" Then, much to the Scottish Queen's surprise, the dying Queen grabbed her hand, "Promise me one thing, tell my sister, tell her I am sorry, for everything. Tell her that in another life, she and I could have been sisters to one another, please," then the Queen's grip loosened and she leaned back in the bed, "Tell her I love her." Soon the Queen's eyes closed and the rise and fall of her chest stopped. It was official, Mary Tudor had died. 

Mary Stuart, now in tears at being beside the Queen in her last moments said to herself, "Long live Mary Tudor, daughter of a king, sister to a king, wife to a king, but most importantly, a king herself." She then stood up and called for the servants and guards to come in, "Mary Tudor is dead!"

The guards and servants rushed in to see their queen laying in bed, now dead. They all turned to Mary Stuart and bowed, "Long live the Queen."

Mary shook her head, "No, this is not about me, we must mourn the death of the Queen. Write Elizabeth and tell her that her sister is dead, but keep her under strict house arrest. Also, write King Philip, and arrange a ship for me back to France." Mary paced the room a bit nervously as soon the servants rushed to follow her orders. As she walked she noticed a vile on the table and she picked it up and examined this. "What is this?'

One of the servants curtsied before replying, "That was her majesty's herbal remedies, gifted to her by her husband King Philip, the Queen took a does of it every day."

Mary nodded as she set the vile down, "Of course, and also, write my English cousins and tell them to meet me at the palace upon my return here. I want all of the possible claimants to the throne within close reach of me. Now, I must return to France."


	2. I Love You

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is kind of a small filler chapter, the story will kick in later. Also, just to let any readers know, I will reference some reign plots or characters, but this story is mostly driven by historical facts with maybe one or two tweaks. Feel free to send feedback!

As the carriage moved across the French countryside, Mary found it difficult to relax. Usually she would get lost in admiring the countryside, but today was different. Today Mary felt almost as if she were a new person. Her whole life she was Mary Queen of Scots, now now she was Mary Queen of England as well. The idea haunted her, because she knew that securing her right to the English throne would not be easy. Not only did she have to compete with Elizabeth's strong claim to the throne, but she also had other cousins to worry about. The Grey sisters, who have previously reached for the crown, Margaret Clifford, and even Mary's own half aunt, Lady Lennox all had legitimate claims to the throne. Of course, by the normal rules of succession, Mary does have the strongest claim, but due to Henry's complete disregard of these rules in his will, many people in England thought Mary had absolutely no claim at all. It was all to much for Mary to handle, after all, she was just a teenager.

Mary's time to feel sorry for herself was over as the carriage came to a stop and the door swung open. She took a deep breathe before taking the guard's hand and stepping out, to the sound of music. She then dusted off her black gown and made her way to the party that was waiting to greet her. She was greeted by the French royal family, at least the ones that were at court. That included the King, the Queen, Mary's husband Francis, and his siblings Elisabeth and Charles. She tried to smile as she approached them, but in honesty she still felt like an outsider in this family, and her father-in-law horrified her.

"Mary, my dearest daughter-in-law, why are you wearing the colors of mourning? This is a celebration!" He explained to her in his usual loud and boisterous tone. "That English bat is dead, and you are now their Queen. You have gotten us England. Our plans have finally been realized."

It was true, Mary was in all black and her only jewelry was a ruby necklace, to symbolize England. "That bat was my cousin and predecessor, it would be best for me to honor her. She kept Catholicism alive in England, and if it were not for her, I would not have been given such a grand opportunity to take the throne. She is a human being, and my cousin, so I will mourn her death."

Then, Mary's mother-in-law, Catherine, trying to simmer down the conflict nodded, "Of course, and you have had a long journey. It is, perhaps you and Francis should retire for the night. The real work begins soon and you will need all of your energy."

Without really giving Mary a chance to respond, Francis nodded and took her arm to lead her away. Mary knew Francis was trying to protect her from further arguing with the king. The French king was hot headed and rude, needless to say he and Mary did not get along, especially as Mary grew more and more independently minded every day. Once back in the privacy of their own room Francis sighed, "Sorry about him, he is just excited that he can finally have England."

Mary smiled at her husband, always so worried for her, she was lucky that she got to marry him. "No need to apologize, I know how your father is, which is why he will never have England. I will do all in my power to protect my people from his tyranny. Now that I am the Queen of two nations, I would say I probably outrank your father."

Francis chuckled at the thought and smiled a bit, "Yes I think you are right, but do not let him know that." He then stood up and wrapped his arms around Mary, because he could tell she was worried. "Something else is bothering you, something more than my family. What is it?"

"Its nothing," she said but her voice hitched, she could not lie about this, not to him. Her eyes began to well up and she buried her face into his shoulder. This was all to much for her. She did not know if she would ever be able to face the battle ahead of her, but there was something even more upsetting that bothered her.

"I know you this is alot, but you have the power of France and Scotland at your side, each ready to crush anyone who opposes your rule, I promise you that you will be Queen of England you will be kept safe," Francis assured her, pressing his sobbing wife tight against.

"Its not just that," Mary weeped as she pulled away to look at Francis, the husband she loved so much. "I was there, when she died. I watched her take her last breathe. Before passing she spoke of her time as Queen, about killing her cousin, imprisoning her sister. She may have died a queen, but Francis, she died alone. She did not call me to her side because she wanted to talk to me. She summoned me because, even though she and I had never even met, I was the only family member that would go to her. She did not want to die alone, and I do not either."

"Mary, you will not die alone, you have me, one day we will have our kids, and our grandkids," Francis said with a small smile, hoping that the thought of their future family could bring a smile to his wife's face. "Not to mention your brother, your mother, and even my siblings all adore you, not to mention my mother is coming around. You have a family, probably more than you even know what to do with."

Mary smiled at the thought and wiped away her tears, "You are right, I do have all of you, but Francis, I fear of a war, a war with Elizabeth, or the Grey sisters or Lady Lennox, a war for the English crown, and if it comes down to it, I do not think I can do it. I do not think I can kill a member of my own family."

Francis nodded and hugged his wife tightly, "We must pray it never comes to that. Perhaps you are being to worrisome, we do not even know if Elizabeth wants the crown, perhaps the people of England, including your cousins, will welcome you openly. Mary, you are strong, and you can get through whatever obstacles are in front of you, and I will be by your side through the entire thing."

Mary smiled and kissed her husband deeply, feeling the same fireworks that she felt when they first kissed. She was lucky to have been able to marry someone she loved. That was a fortune that not many people in her position got. She knew that together, they would both start a beautiful family and begin a powerful dynasty. "You are right," she said and kissed her again, "Francis, no matter what happens in the future, know that I love you. I see a bright future for us, and I cannot wait to have a son with your golden blonde hair."

Francis smiled and pulled his wife to the bed, "And a daughter with your beautiful smile, and regal attitude," he said grinning before he kissed his wife deeply.

"Regal attitude? I feel like your insulting me," she giggled as Francis pulled her closer.

"How is it an insult when I love it? I love everything about you, Mary Stuart-Valois, I love you," He replied with a smile and kissed her again deeply.


	3. Family Reunion

November 30, 1558

England

Mary watched as the land drew closer and closer on the horizon. The last time she had been here she was a foreign visitor, but now, she was England's Queen, if they would have her. As the ship sailed closer and closer to the docks, Mary knew this was the moment that could change everything. This was her first time formally introducing herself to her people, and she wanted to make a good impression. She was a Scottish girl raised in France. What business did she have being the Queen of England? Nonetheless, she was Queen, and she knew that she would have to become popular amongst the people and the nobles if she wanted any hope of making this a smooth transition of power. Getting closer by the second, Mary could feel herself approaching her destiny, whatever that may be. She began to hear a roaring sound, which, as they got closer still, she noticed was the cheers of the people. She sighed in relief, knowing that she was being welcomed so warmly, at least by some. The small group of nobles standing on the docks did not seem to excited.

Mary had summoned some of the more suspicious nobles to greet her, she wanted them close so she could keep her eye on them. Most notably, she invited the three most dangerous women to her reign. Three of her distant cousins, each of which have a claim to the throne, and supporters. First, there were the Grey sisters, Catherine and Mary, great-granddaughters of King Henry VII, just like Mary, and avid Protestants. Many nobles were Protestant, including some of Mary's other distant cousins, but the Grey sisters were different. When Mary Tudor became Queen, Jane Grey, the eldest of the Grey sisters tried to usurp the throne, and failed, later being executed. This meant that some Protestants were still loyal to the Grey family. If the Grey sisters were to turn on Mary, there is a possibility they could rally enough people to dethrone her.

However, as nerve-wracking as the Grey sisters were, they were nothing compared to Elizabeth Tudor. Elizabeth was the daughter of King Henry VIII and his second wife Anne Boleyn. In the eyes of the Catholic Church, Elizabeth was the bastard daughter of a King, but to the eyes of the Protestants, she was the true Queen of England. If there were to be a true Protestant uprising in England, odds are, they would be attempting to put Elizabeth on the throne. Mary had other cousins with claims to her throne, but none were as prominent, or as dangerous as these three. That is why Mary needed to keep them close.

The crowds cheered as Mary walked off the boat. "Her Majesty, Mary Queen of Scotland and England, accompanied by her husband, the Dauphin of France," the herald announced. Mary waved to the peopled as she stepped off the boat and on to the docks, with her husband at her side. The nobles, however, were giving halfhearted claps and brief smiled, but Mary was not concerned with them. Nobles can be charmed by the simplest of flatteries. No, they would not be the issue. Mary was concerned with the three women, her cousins, each of home threatened her reign.

"Dear cousins, it brings me joy to see you here, it is a pleasure to finally meet you all," Mary said to her cousins. She studied each of them, trying to determine what they could be thinking in this moment. Elizabeth, the most mature of them all was standing there, being respectful, but Mary could tell that she was resenting being here. On the other hand, the Grey sisters seemed excited by the events, and Mary noticed that the younger sister, Mary Grey, was holding a rosary, no doubt a subtle sign of loyalty.

The three women curtsied to their Queen out of respect. "Your majesty, the honor is all ours," Catherine replied. The woman was rather tall, and perhaps maybe a few years older than Queen Mary, and her strawberry blonde hair, made her stand out from her Tudor relatives. "It brings my sister and I great joy to be able to welcome you to England, and we are at your service in anyway you need. Of course, we cannot speak for Lady Elizabeth."

Then all eyes turned to Lady Elizabeth, to see what would be her first words to her new Queen. She nodded, "Of course, have similar sentiments with cousins Catherine," She said simply, not wanting to truly acknowledge Mary as her Queen. It was clear that Elizabeth wanted to be Queen herself, because she felt that it would be best for England. She wanted her country to have a wise and devoted ruler. However, Elizabeth knew her reaching or the crown would be impractical without help, and a civil war would destroy the country. Elizabeth would only reach for the crown if she had a chance of winning.

The four women and Francis all entered a carriage that would take them to the palace. There was a lot for Mary to do on her first day as acting Queen. Certain policies and laws she would need to immediately address, not to mention planning for the coronation which would most likely take place in a few months. Mary also knew she needed to use this time to win over support from the nobles and other prominent English citizens. This would ensure her rule. The first step to this, was winning over her cousins. "I was thinking," Mary said to her cousins, "I need some guides to help me learn English customs and court practices, I would love for you three to be my ladies-in-waiting. I think it would be good for us all."

"Us? Ladies-in-waiting to the Queen? That would be a dream come true!" The fourteen year old Mary Grey responded in an outburst of excitement. it comforted Queen Mary to have Mary Grey in the carriage with them, so that Queen Mary did feel like the youngest person in the carriage. Besides, the young Mary Grey seemed nice enough, and innocent of all the court corruption.

"I think what my sister means to say," Catherine interjected, shooting an annoyed glance at her younger sister, obviously embarrassed by her sister's informal outburst, "is that we would be honored to serve as your ladies, and to help you in anyway we can as you learn the ways of English court."

Elizabeth sighed as she looked out the window, her eyes roaming the countryside on their way to the palace. "If it is all the same to you, your majesty, I would like to stay in my humble country estate, where I can be at peace."

Of course, the idea of that sounded nice, but Queen Mary could not help but think that perhaps this was a trick for Elizabeth to stay away from Mary's eye in order to plot against her. Mary could not let that happen, she needed Elizabeth at court, preferably at all time. "Nonsense!" Mary said in a polite tone, even though she knew Elizabeth would not like what she had to say, "Atleast stay at the palace for a bit, I need someone to show me around after all, and who better to do that than you?"

"I did not live at the place," Elizabeth replied simply and sighed a bit to herself, "But if your majesty insists, I shall stay at the palace with you and try to show you around." Elizabeth acted like she did not care that she had not lived at the palace, but Queen Mary could tell it was bothering her.

Mary shifted uncomfortably in her seat, trying to think of some sort of way to begin to build a relationship with Elizabeth. "I have a message from your sister, Mary Tudor," Queen Mary said and noticed Elizabeth perk up, "She called me to her bedside when she was dying. Her second to last wish was for me to succeed her as the Queen, but her last wish was to tell you that she loved you, and that in another life, you could have been friends."

Mary could see a wave of emotions on Elizabeth's face, sadness for her sister, jealousy that her sister had called their estranged cousin to her deathbed instead of Elizabeth, even anger, as Elizabeth remembered how her sister locked her in the tower for many years in her reign. "Well if only she had those sentiments when she wa alive, then perhaps we could have been close, but she locked me in a tower for years, so I find it difficult to believe her sincerity."

* * *

That night, after Mary had been moved in and got settled in her chambers, the Grey sisters were exploring the halls ecstatic to be in the palace, serving their Queen as ladies-in-waiting. As they walked they heard a voice call for them, "Cousins! I have been looking everywhere for you! I must speak to you both!" They turned to see Elizabeth walking towards them.

"Do not worry, we will have that Catholic usurper off my throne!" she whispered in excitement to them. However, upon Mary's arrival the Grey sisters converted to Catholicism, still bitter toward the Protestant faith in England for practically forcing their sister to try and go against Mary Tudor. Elizabeth then handed Catherine a letter, "Read this, its our salvation."

Catherine took the letter and immediately noticed its seal, "Thats the royal Spanish seal. Elizabeth, are you in contact with the king of Spain?" Catherine asked but Elizabeth just gestured for her to read the letter. As Catherine read the words of the Spanish King, her heart sank, knowing that war would be at hand. " He wants to marry you, and then place you on the throne on England instead of Mary, but that does not make any sense, he is Catholic."

"That is what I thought too, but we have been in correspondence for months," Elizabeth explained to her cousins, still excited, "We have stuck a deal, England will officially be Catholic, but Protestant may worship in secret with no threat of punishment. He is threatened by the idea of Mary and her French allies controlling England, so he wants me to be the Queen! Do not worry cousins, you will be well rewarded as my officially heiresses, until I have a child that is. I will find you good husbands. Mention this to no one, now I must go and take care of somethings. Philip will be here soon for a secret wedding ceremony."

As they watched Elizabeth hurry away they each felt a pit in their stomach. This is how civil wars started. They had seen it themselves with their sister, Jane. This is how women lost their heads, whether or not it is Mary or Elizabeth, either way, they both could not survive this if Elizabeth were to go through with this. "She is going to get herself killed isn't she?" Mary Grey asked her elder sister, worried for all of their safety.

Catherine shook her head, "No, I do not think Mary could do that, her heart is to pure. However, if she find out that we knew about this and did not alert her, we could still be punished, not to mention we would be at threat of assassination," Catherine responded, knowing they would have to pick a side, and soon.

"And if Elizabeth becomes Queen, what becomes of us then? We would be her heiresses, she would control who we marry and what we do!" Mary said back, worried for the future.

Catherine shook her head, "Elizabeth is not my queen, and she never will be. I will be damned if that Tudor brat controls my or your life, I do not care if she beheads me herself, she is not my queen. Come on, we have work to do," Catherine took her sister's hand as they marched back to their chambers together.

 


	4. Plots and Conspiracies

December 31, 1558

England

The words of last night's meeting with Elizabeth still rattled in Catherine Grey's mind. Could it even be true? Was Elizabeth really plotting to marry the King of Spain in order to challenge Mary's claim to the throne? If it was true, it left Catherine and her younger sister in a dangerous position, because they would be forced to pick a side. Their family had already felt the horrible affects of opposing an already proclaimed Queen, and Catherine did not want to lose her head like her sister, Jane had. However, there was a good chance that Elizabeth might succeed, and if she did, all of Mary's supporters would be gotten rid of. Catherine was forced to pick between her two cousins, and she needed to pick the right one, not just for her sake, but for her younger sister's sake as well.

Catherine sighed as she walked over to her desk, picking a side was not ideal, but she had no other choice. Therefore, she knew whose side she belonged on. She pulled out a piece of paper and began to write a letter, that would seal her fate, either good or bad, and officially declare where he loyalties were.

After writing the letter, Catherine made her way out of the room and began to walk the halls of the palace. It was early so she knew the Queen was not yet awake, but she was thankful for it. Once she reached the Queen's chambers, she handed the guard the letter, "When her majesty awake, please give this letter directly to her hands. It is of the upmost importance." The guard nodded, and Catherine quickly made her way back to her chambers.

A few hours later, Mary had awoken and gotten ready for her day. This was a busy day for her because she was meeting with some powerful English nobles, trying to see where their loyalties were, as well as trying to win them over. The nobles, the people, the monarchy, and the church were the foundation of a nation, she needed to have support from all of these parts to secure her rule. As she brushed her hair, a guard came in, "Your majesty, Lady Catherine Grey came by in the early hours of the morning and left this letter to be delivered to you directly."

Mary nodded, "Of course," she replied as she took the letter. Mary was almost scared to open this letter because she knew the Grey sisters were Protestant, and they had a history of trying to usurp the throne. It broke Mary's heart that all of her cousins were also considered rivals, but unfortunately that was the truth of the situation. She took a deep breathe and opened the letter.

_My dear cousin and Queen of Scotland, England, and Ireland, Dauphine of France,_

_Just last night I was made aware of a plan in the works to overthrow your majesty, and possibly kill you. This plan is being conspired by none other than our dear cousin Lady Elizabeth and his majesty King Phillip II of Spain. The plan is to wed and raise an army to over throw your majesty. I debated on keeping this knowledge a secret, for I was afraid I was conspiring against my cousin Elizabeth, but my conscience got the better of me. I pray that you will know what to do, but for my safety I request you majesty burn this letter after reading it._

_Your loyal servant and cousin,_

_Catherine_

As she read the letter, Mary's heart sank. Elizabeth was trying to ally herself with the most powerful country in Europe. With Spain's support Elizabeth could easily push Mary off of the throne, and perhaps even endanger Scotland and France as well. "Please do not let this be true," Mary exclaimed, fearing for her own life and the life of her husband as well. If Elizabeth won a war against her, she would surely take Mary's head, and maybe even Francis' as well.

"Mary what is wrong?" Francis asked her as she rushed to his wife's side. A still frightened Mary said nothing, but instead she simply handed Francis the letter. As he read it, he kept a calm and collected demeanor, as to not frighten his wife even more. After reading the letter, he followed its last instructions and threw it in the fire, "We must thank Lady Catherine for her loyalty, she has proven whose side she I on."

Mary nodded in agreement, she could not let this loyalty go unrewarded. Mary knew she had the upper hand in regards to her cousin's loyalty so she was going to capitalize off of it. The last thing she needed was the Grey sisters to back Elizabeth for the throne. "Of course, we could return their family lands and titles which were taken from them when Jane's usurpation fail," She said and began to draw up some papers up to get that process started, "But what of Elizabeth? She is going to marry the most powerful man in Europe."

"Perhaps she is just as afraid of you, as you are of her. If she fears for her life under your reign, then she would marry a powerful king to protect herself," Francis suggested as he pondered this question, "Perhaps a gesture of good will might relax her, and let her know that you have no intentions of killing her, as long as she is loyal. Her mother was created Marquess of Pembroke before being cast off, maybe if you give this title to Elizabeth, it would ease her mind."

Mary nodded, pleased with her husband's idea, "Excellent idea, and it would not seem suspicious since I am also returning the Grey family's lands as well, she would not even suspect that we knew of her little plan with the Spanish King. We might be able to get around this after all. For now, let us summon the Grey sisters and speak to them directly." Mary then asked one of the guards to summon her cousins.

Not long after, the herald announced, "Lady Catherine and Lady Mary Grey!" The two sisters walked in to the chambers and Queen Mary finally got to get a good look at her cousins, who she hoped would become close friends. The two looked almost nothing alike, Catherine was tall, with piercing blue eyes, and strawberry blonde hair, which was not typical of the family. Mary Grey, on the other hand, was rather short, likely because of her age, and had the Tudor trademark auburn hair, and brown eyes. Though they looked very different, they each possessed a classy, somewhat regal air about them.

Queen Mary smiled and pulled her cousins in for a hug, which was understandably surprising to the Grey sisters. "My dearest cousins it is so good to see you, and I thank you for your loyalty, you should know that I will reward you for this loyalty after the coronation." Mary waved her hand and the guards and servants all left the room.

The sisters curtsied to their queen and smiled. "Thank you your majesty," Catherine Grey responded, "But if I may ask, what will become of Lady Elizabeth? Are you going to..." she trailed off, but Mary knew what she was implying.

Queen Mary was sure that Catherine felt a twinge of guilt for betraying her cousin, and was worried this betrayal might lead to Elizabeth's death. "No, not yet anyway," Mary answered and sat down next to Francis, "The Queen of France, my mother-in-law, is good with these situations, she should be here soon to advise us on what exactly to do, but Lady Elizabeth will not die. However, I must ask you, why have you chosen to support me?"

The sisters looked at each other, as if silently asking each other the same thing. "Well, with all due respect," Catherine finally spoke up, "Our family has suffered greatly from picking the losing side in struggles for the crown, so this time we want to avoid that heartache. But also, I know Elizabeth well, and I have already gotten to know you. You both care greatly for this nation, but I feel Elizabeth cares most about proving all those who doubted her wrong, which could jeopardize England."

Mary nodded as she listened, and she respected her cousin's honesty. Mary did seem to have the upper hand, at least right now, in this conflict and it would make sense for those who were undecided to go ahead and join her side. Before Queen Mary could respond, the guard came in and said, "Pardon the interruption your majesty, but the Earl of Hertford is here to see you, he claims to have arranged this meeting with you?"

"Edward Seymour? What on earth is he doing here?" Catherine asked, having recognized his title. Edward Seymour was a known protestant, not exactly the type you would expect the new Catholic Queen to meet with.

"I am meeting with prominent Protestant lords in order to secure my reign," Mary replied to her cousin before turning to the guard, "I almost forgot this meeting was this early please do send Lord Seymour in." Soon, the guard opened the door and a tall and slender man, with a charming smile, entered the room, he bowed to the Queen, but his eyes were on Catherine, "Lord Seymour, is it alright if my cousins sit in on this meeting?"

Edward took Catherine's hand and kissed it softly before offering her a charming smile, "Of course, I would enjoy such lovely company, and I always wish to meet those I would be working close too. It is my understanding that the Grey sisters are going to support your claim above Lady Elizabeth, correct?" Catherine was shocked to hear that Edward so openly talking against Lady Elizabeth, but she could not help but to smile, knowing that she and this charming lord would be on the same side.

Everyone in the room seemed to noticed the flirtation between Edward and Catherine , Queen Mary, holding back a teasing smile nodded, "Yes, my cousins are loyal friends and allies." Then a servant came into the room and whispered into Mary's ear, before she sighed. The Queen stood up and smiled at Edward, "Could you and Catherine discuss this business, I seem to have a visitor that cannot wait. Edward and Catherine nodded before leaving the room. "Francis, you and Mary go begin planning the coronation, I have to deal with this harpy."

Lady Mary's eyes widened as she wandered who could have arrived that evoked such emotions from the Queen. Were their lives in danger? "Forgive me for asking your majesty, but who is here?"

Mary gritted her teeth as she walked to the door, "My mother," she replied as she walked out of the room.


	5. Picking Sides

December 31, 1558

Mary walked through the halls, preparing to face her mother again, after all this time. As she passed members of the court, they all bowed or curtsied, therefore acknowledging Mary as their queen, but she had more pressing issues to think about. Mary's relationship with her mother was a complicated one to say the least. Having grown up in France most of her life, Mary usually only wrote letters to her mother, seeing her a handful if time throughout the years. Of course, it took Mary becoming Queen of another nation to bring her mother around again. Walking to the council chamber, where her mother was, Mary dismissed all the lords so she could talk to Marie de Guise in private. "Mother," Mary said simply with a polite curtsy.

Marie turned around to see her daughter. "It is I who should be curtsying to you, Queen Mary the Second by the Grace of God, Queen of England!" She crossed the room to stand in front of her daughter, "And soon to be the Queen of France. I am proud of you Mary, and your father would be too." The way Marie mentioned Mary's father was more out of obligation, than affection. It was well known that Marie and Mary's father, James, did not have a happy marriage.

Mary rolled her eyes at her mother's attempts to care. Of course Marie de Guise cared, she cared about power. Notice, she did not mention a single thing about being happy to see Mary, instead she just focused on thrones and nations. "I do hope so, I would not have wanted my birth to have been a waste for you," Mary replied as she walked to the head of the council table, and sat down, the spot for the monarch.

"A queen of two nations, and princess to a third, but still a bratty teenager," Marie sighed as she sat down next to Mary, taking her hand. "I do love you Mary, which is why I have been the way I am. Perhaps I did not coddle you enough as a child, but thats because I was fighting to survive, I was fighting for you. You will learn, if you have not already, that being a woman in this world, especially a woman with power, is almost impossible. Maybe I was not a good mother, but I was a good parent, look at you, alive, and on top of the world."

Mary scoffed at the sound of her mother, almost begging forgiveness for her absentee parenting, "Yes you fought alright," she said, pulling her hand back and standing back up. "I have heard much of your fighting. Maybe if you did not fight so much then the protestants would not be ready to revolt! I have dozens of reports that claim that your policies puts Scotland closer and closer to a civil war!"

"Do you think being Queen is easy? You have been queen here for what? A month? Try fifteen years," Marie snapped back as she took a goblet of wine to take a drink, "Try convincing hordes of Protestant men that they should accept a Catholic girl as their God anointed Queen. You can, so, you are forced to snuff out the protestant men. Which brings me to my next point, if you are finished whining about me?" Mary sighed and nodded, as if to tell her mother to continue with her next point, "The Lady Elizabeth, when is her execution?"

"Execution?" Mary asked her mother in shock as she turned to face her, "The Lady Elizabeth has done nothing wrong, and has complied with the greatest of ease. Executing her would be like signing my own death warrant, her supporters would turn on me. Do you know we have cousins? The Grey sisters, who are protestant and their family has reached for the crown before. If I execute Elizabeth, surely there would be a movement to install them on my throne."

"Then get rid of them too," Marie replied nonchalantly. "Trust me dear, it is better to dispose of these issue before they have the chance to become issues. I know best dear."

"Mother!" Mary snapped back, she was used to this kind of behavior by now, but that did not mean she approved. "You do not know best! You have run Scotland in to the ground, it is clear your methods do not work. I will rule as I see fit, dispense justice as I see fit, and ally with whomever I see fit. You, on the other hand will curtsy, thank me for allowing you to continue to exercise political influence, and beg my forgiveness for offending me." This was Mary's first time standing up to her mother, because she finally felt like she had the power to do so.

Marie gritted her teeth, but there was a proud air about her as she curtsied to her defiant daughter, "Thank you your majesty, and I apologize profusely if I have offended you in anyway."

* * *

Meanwhile, in the gardens, Catherine Grey was negotiating an alliance with Edward Seymour, on the behalf of Queen Mary. She knew very well why her Queen sent her out here. Catherine knew she had not been subtle with her blushing when Edward first introduced himself to Mary. Everyone knew that Catherine fancied the Earl of Hertford. However, Catherine knew this was not about her, she was out here for her Queen, and would be professional. "The Queen is grateful for your loyalty, my lord."

"And I am grateful for her support as well," Edward replied with that same charming smile. "But in truth, I came to court, mainly to see you, milady. I know we have met briefly on a number of occasion, and in truth, my head has swirled with thought of meeting you again, and getting to know you better. It is my intention to begin courting you, if you'd have me."

Catherine could not believe what she was hearing, a handsome noble wished to court her. However, she remembered why she was here, and who her loyalties were with. "If we proceed I need you to know something. My loyalty is to my Queen, to Mary, if your loyalty is some sort of trick, then end this now. I will not compromise my friendship with the Queen for you. I am her majesty's most humble servant."

"My loyalties are to her majesty as well, she seems to be a gracious Queen, with a very beautiful servant," he said with a mischvious grin as he took Catherine's hand and kissed the top of it softly.

* * *

As much as she hated to admit it, Mary knew her mother was right. Elizabeth was dangerous, and Mary needed to keep an eye on her. At any moment she could start a Protestant uprising, or continue her plan to marry the king of Spain. Something needed to be done, and Mary had learned enough from the great Catherine de Medici to know that spies could be a valuable tool. With Elizabeth's usual isolated lifestyle, she had a small circle of friends. There was only one person Mary could think to spy on Elizabeth. It was late at night, and Mary was in her chambers with Francis when the herald announced, "The Lady Mary Grey."

As the young girl walked into the room, the Queen dismissed everyone, except Francis. Mary Grey curtsied to the royal couple, "You requested to see me your majesty? I am at your service."

Queen Mary could sense the nervousness in this girl, having been called here in the dead of night, without her older sister Catherine. However, Mary wanted to let Mary Grey know that she was a friend. "Dear cousin, please sit down," she gestured to a chair across from where she and Francis were already sitting. "As much as I look forward to our friendship growing," Queen Mary looked down, knowing the bad thing she would be asking of Lady Mary, "But as for tonight, I have called you here for a purpose."

Lady Mary nodded nervously as she sat where her Queen gestured, "As I said, I am at your service. My sister and I are your most humble servants."

"Thank you Lady Mary, but what I ask of you cannot be told to anyone, not even your sister, Lady Catherine. What we say in here should never leave this room," Francis told the girl, who nodded in agreement.

"Lady Elizabeth is a threat to my rule," Mary began, going in headfirst to what she needed, "You are the only person here she remotely trusts. I have heard reports of her possible marriage, and even a possible uprising. It would please me very much if you would relay any treasonous or otherwise important actions of the Lady Elizabeth. For my safety, and the safety of the Kingdom."

With a shaky voice, Lady Mary nodded, "If it is your majesty's wish. I will do this, and not tell a single soul about it." She then stood up, and leaned on the chair for support, "If that is all your majesty requires."

"Of course, go get some rest, the crown thanks you, and so do I," Mary replied as Lady Mary curtsied and left the room. Once they were alone once again, Mary turned to her husband, "She seemed scared to death."

"Of course she is, this is a hard task for anyone," he agreed with a nod, "Do you think she can do it?"

"She is a descendant of the Tudor family, if there is one thing this family is good at, its deception," Mary responded to her husband as she got up, to prepare for bed.


End file.
